El Paso Saddlery has been crafting holsters for over a century. I was looking to switch from Kydex (Bladetech Eclipse) to leather for my S&W Shield; I originally wanted a Milt Sparks Axiom (which I own for another gun), but unfortunately the Axiom isn’t available for the Shield so I decided to try the Snap Off Elite from El Paso Saddlery.

It took roughly a month from placing the order for the holster to arrive. My initial thoughts are:

1. The stamping is not as deep or defined as in the online picture, this makes the color appear lighter. The stamping is particularly light around the outside edges.

2. The holster could benefit from higher leather on the body side of the holster to protect your side from the back of the gun slide and assist with reholstering. That said, the holster is very comfortable to wear overall.

3. The belt loops are very snug on my A&G gunleather belt and will need to stretch.

4. The overall craftsmanship of the holster is good. Personally, I think the craftsmanship of my Milt Sparks holsters is a notch above but the El Paso is a quality holster.

5. The mouth of the holster is a little weak making reholstering a bit of a challenge.

In summary, it’s a nice holster that I plan to use regularly. It’s no Milt Sparks Axiom, but a nice holster nonetheless.

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About El Paso Saddlery-

“A CENTURY OF HANDCRAFTING SUPERIOR GUNLEATHER”

Since 1889, El Paso Saddlery has been producing the world’s finest holsters and gunbelts. Whether your preference is cowboy action shooting, authentic western, modern, concealment, or military, we offer the premier holster to fit your need. All of our gunleather is made with premium quality materials and age old techniques that have been passed down from one superior leather craftsman to another. We do things the old fashioned way; handcrafting all of our goods from start to finish, just as we always have. Though our methods are time consuming, we are certain that you will appreciate the difference